Jack mounting structure

Abstract

This invention provides a jack mounting structure that prevents damage to the jack-holding components and electrical connections even when a large external force is applied to the jack. [Solution] The jack mounting structure (JK) comprises a jack (171) having an insertion opening (171b), a housing (11), a circuit board (12) supported by the housing (11), a packing (15) interposed between the housing (11) and the jack (171) to provide soft support for the jack (171) to the housing (11), a flexible substrate (14) connecting the jack (171) and the circuit board (12), an outwardly protruding projection (171a) formed on the jack (171), and a contact rib (11b) formed on the housing (11) that contacts the projection (171a) to restrict the movement of the plug (8) inserted into the insertion hole (11a1) in the pushing direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a jack mounting structure.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes, as a conventional technique, a jack mounting structure in which a jack unit is soldered and an FPC mounted on a circuit board is locked by a locking claw having elasticity on the frame side. In this jack mounting structure, since the FPC is given a degree of freedom of movement within the range allowed by the elastic deformation of the locking claw, it is said that stress concentration at the electrical connection portion between the jack and the FPC can be reduced when an external force is applied.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The structure described in Patent Document 1 makes it difficult to increase the elastic deformation range of the locking claw. Therefore, in an electronic device such as a handy type radio (portable radio) where a large force is likely to be applied to the plug, there is a risk that a large force will be applied to the jack into which the plug is inserted, and there is room for improvement to prevent problems such as damage to the locking claw and the electrical connection part.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a jack mounting structure in which even when a large external force is applied to the jack, the member holding the jack and the electrical connection part are difficult to be damaged.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has the following configuration 1) in one aspect. 1) A jack having an insertion slot, The casing and The circuit board supported by the aforementioned housing and A packing interposed between the housing and the jack, which provides soft support for the jack relative to the housing, A flexible board connecting the jack and the circuit board, The jack has an outwardly protruding portion formed therein, The housing includes a contact rib formed therein, which restricts the movement of the plug inserted into the insertion opening in the pushing direction by contacting the protruding portion, It has a jack mounting structure equipped with [a specific feature]. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, even if a large external force is applied to the jack, the member holding the jack and the electrical connection part are less likely to be damaged. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a jack mounting structure JK according to one aspect of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the state with the cover 13 removed, as shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the assembled jack mounting structure JK. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken at the S4-S4 position in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view at position S5-S5 in Figure 1. [Figure 6A] Figure 6A is a partial side view showing a modified example of the jack mounting structure JK, namely jack mounting structure JK1. [Figure 6B] Figure 6B is a partial side view showing a modified example of the jack mounting structure JK, namely jack mounting structure JK2. [Figure 7]Figure 7 is a perspective view showing an FPC 24, which is a modified example of the flexible substrate 14. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows modified examples of plug 8A and plug connector JKP2, respectively. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] A jack mounting structure JK, which is one embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a jack mounting structure JK according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the state with the cover 13 in Figure 1 removed. Figure 3 is a perspective assembly view of the jack mounting structure JK. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view at position S4-S4 in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view at position S5-S5 in Figure 1. In the following description, the up, down, left, right, front, and back directions are defined by arrows in Figure 1. These directions are based on the general usage orientation of the portable radio 91, which is an electronic device equipped with the jack mounting structure JK, and do not limit the arrangement or usage orientation of the jack mounting structure JK.

[0010] In the following example, the jack mounting structure JK is mounted on a portable radio 91, which is an electronic device. The portable radio 91 has a flat, vertically elongated rectangular body 1. In a typical usage position, the length of the body 1 is in the vertical direction and the thickness is in the front-to-back direction; therefore, in Figure 1, each direction in this usage position is indicated by arrows.

[0011] The main body 1 of the portable radio 91 has a housing that is divided into two parts in the front-to-back direction. Figure 1 shows the rear housing 11 with the front housing removed and a part of its interior. As shown in Figure 1, the main body 1 has a plug connector JKP on the upper right side for inserting and removing the plug 8. As shown in Figure 3, the plug connector JKP is composed of the housing 11, circuit board 12, flexible circuit board 14 (FPC 14), reinforcing plate 16, jack part 17, and packing 15. The jack part 17 is a set of a first jack 171 and a second jack 172.

[0012] The housing 11 is formed of resin, and a recess 11a that is vertically long and recessed is formed at the upper part of the right side surface. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a first hole portion 11a1 and a second hole portion 11a2, which are a pair of circular insertion holes spaced apart in the vertical direction, are formed at the bottom 11a3 of the recess 11a. The inner diameter of the second hole portion 11a2 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the first hole portion 11a1.

[0013] A first connection portion 151 and a second connection portion 152, which are parts of the packing 15 covered by the cover 13, are fitted into the first hole portion 11a1 and the second hole portion 11a2 of the recess 11a and are annularly exposed to the outside. The first connection portion 151 and the second connection portion 152 each have insertion openings 151a and 152a that are circular holes. The inner diameter of the insertion opening 151a is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the insertion opening 152a.

[0014] Inside the housing 11, a circuit board 12 is disposed. Using the mounting holes 12b of the circuit board 12 with small screws N1, a cover 13 formed in a box shape of a thin metal plate is fastened and fixed to a boss (not shown) of the housing 11 by co-fastening. An opening 13a (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is formed in the left side portion of the cover 13, and an FPC 14 extends outward from the opening 13a. The FPC 14 has a slack portion 14a that protrudes in an inverted U shape forward, and the terminal portion at the left tip is soldered to a pad portion 12a (see FIG. 3) formed on the circuit board 12 and is electrically connected to the circuit board 12. It is connected (see FIGS. 2 and 4). Also, on the right end side of the FPC 14, a rectangular and thin reinforcing plate 16 is attached, and the reinforcing plate 16 is fixed to the jack portion 17. The terminals of the jack portion 17 are electrically connected to the FPC 14 through an opening (not shown) of the reinforcing plate 16. Thereby, the jack portion 17 and the circuit board 12 are electrically connected via the FPC 14. Specifically, the plug 8 is a plug for connecting a headset (not shown) to the portable radio 91. By inserting the plug 8 into the plug connection portion JKP, the headset and the circuit board 12 are electrically connected via the FPC 14, and the voice signal picked up by the microphone of the headset is transmitted to the voice signal input circuit of the circuit board 12, and the voice signal processed by the voice signal output circuit of the circuit board 12 is transmitted to the speaker of the headset to output the voice signal.

[0015] The plug 8 inserted and removed from the jack portion 17 has a main body portion 81 formed of resin, a terminal portion 83 provided on the main body portion 81, and a cable 82 extending from the main body portion 81. The terminal portion 83 has a first plug 831 and a second plug 832 extending parallel to the main body portion 81. The first plug 831 is slightly larger than the second plug 832 in both length and outer diameter. The first plug 831 and the second plug 832 have the same pitch as the insertion ports 151a and 152a of the plug connection portion JKP, respectively, and can be inserted simultaneously with little play (see arrow DR1).

[0016] The state where the cover 13 is removed by removing the small screw N1 from the state of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2. When the cover 13 is removed, most of the packing 15 is exposed. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the packing 15 has a box-shaped main body portion 153, wraps the first jack 171 and the second jack 172, and is a member that softly holds them in a side-by-side arrangement, and is formed of an elastic material. The material is, for example, silicone rubber.

[0017] The first jack 171 and the second jack 172 are each provided with insertion portions 171d and 172d that protrude outward in an annular manner from the right side of their respective box-shaped bodies. The insertion portions 171d and 172d each have insertion openings 171b and 172b, respectively. The first plug 831 and the second plug 832 of the plug 8 are inserted into and removed from the insertion openings 171b and 172b, respectively.

[0018] The lower surface of the first jack 171 has a right-angled triangular projection 171a that rises towards the left. The upper surface of the second jack 172 has a right-angled triangular projection 172a (see Figure 5) that rises towards the left. The packing 15 has a pair of slits 153a formed on the upper and lower sides of the packing 15 in the portions corresponding to the projections 171a and 172a, so as not to interfere with them (the slit 153a on the upper side is not shown).

[0019] The insertion portion 171d of the first jack 171 and the insertion portion 172d of the second jack 172 are covered by the first connecting portion 151 and the second connecting portion 152, respectively, which protrude in an annular shape in the packing 15. The outer circumferential surfaces of the first connecting portion 151 and the second connecting portion 152 are formed with circumferential ribs 151b and 152b, respectively. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the circumferential ribs 151b and 152b are formed in a triangular shape with the apex approximately in the center of the rib width.

[0020] As previously described, the FPC 14, whose left end is joined to the pad portion 12a of the circuit board 12, has a reinforcing plate 16 attached to its right end, and the connection terminals of the first jack 171 and the second jack 172 are electrically connected to the wiring pattern of the FPC 14 through an opening (not shown) in the reinforcing plate 16. The FPC 14 and the reinforcing plate 16 constitute the FPC body 14T.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3, a rectangular frame-shaped frame portion 11c is formed at the location of the plug connection portion JKP on the bottom wall 11d, which is the rear side of the housing 11, and protrudes forward. The frame portion 11c has a pair of side frames 11c2 that are spaced parallel to each other in the vertical direction and extend in the left-right direction, and a rear frame 11c1 that connects the left ends of the pair of side frames 11c2 in the vertical direction. Plate-shaped contact ribs 11b that protrude forward and extend long in the left-right direction are provided on the left end side of each of the pair of side frames 11c2.

[0022] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the jack body JT is formed by attaching the packing 15 over the jack portion 17 connected to the FPC body 14T. The jack body JT can be placed inside the frame portion 11c by tilting the left side forward relative to the housing 11, and then forcefully fitting the first connection portion 151 and the second connection portion 152 of the packing 15 into the first hole 11a1 and the second hole 11a2 from the inside of the housing 11, while tilting the left side backward so that it is parallel to the bottom wall 11d (see Figures 4 and 5). Once the jack body JT is placed inside the housing 11, the cover 13 is placed over it and fixed to the housing 11 with small screws N1 as described above. In this way, the plug connection portion JKP shown in Figures 1, 4, and 5 is formed. As shown in Figure 4, the FPC body 14T extends to the outside through the opening 153b formed on the left side of the main body 153 of the packing 15 and the opening 13a of the cover 13.

[0023] Next, the behavior of this jack mounting structure JK in response to applied external forces and torques will be described. The jack portion 17 is softly supported, that is, loosely supported, by being covered substantially without gaps by the packing 15. Also, as shown in Figure 4, a gap Vb is formed between the rear surface of the packing 15 and the housing 11. Also, as shown in Figure 5, a gap V1 is formed on the lower side and a gap V2 is formed on the upper side between the packing 15 and the pair of side frames 11c2 of the frame portion 11c. Also, as shown in Figure 4, although only the right end of the front surface of the packing 15 is in contact with or close to the cover 13, a gap Vt is formed between the other parts and the cover 13. On the other hand, the packing 15 is sealed by the circumferential ribs 151b and 152b being tightly fitted into the first hole 11a1 and the second hole 11a2 of the housing 11, respectively.

[0024] As a result, the packing 15 is substantially held in place by the tight fit of the circumferential ribs 151b and 152b with respect to the housing 11. The packing 15 is interposed between the housing 11 and the jack portion 17. The FPC body 14T extends to the left, with the slack portion 14a in a free state, and its left end is soldered to the pad portion 12a of the circuit board 12. On the other hand, the left ends of the protrusions 171a and 172a of the jack portion 17 are in contact with or close to the right end of the contact rib 11b of the housing 11, and the leftward movement of the jack portion 17 is restricted by contact with the contact rib 11b.

[0025] With the above configuration, when the first plug 831 and the second plug 832 of the plug 8 are inserted into the first jack 171 and the second jack 172 of the jack section 17, and an external force is applied to the main body 81 of the plug 8, the behavior of the jack mounting structure JK is as follows.

[0026] When a force is applied to the jack portion 17 from the main body portion 81 of the plug 8, i.e., a large force to the left, as described above, the protrusions 171a and 172a will come into contact with the contact rib 11b, respectively, and their movement to the left will be restricted. Therefore, no large external force is applied to the FPC body 14T.

[0027] The gaps V1 and V2 are formed such that the circumferential ribs 151b and 152b can be compressed and deformed downward or upward. Therefore, when a large downward or upward force is applied to the jack portion 17 from the main body portion 81, the circumferential ribs 151b and 152b will compress downward. Alternatively, since gaps V1 and V2 are formed to the extent that the jack body JT can be compressed and deformed upward, the jack body JT can move in the direction of the applied force (see arrows DR51 and DR52 in Figure 5), and no large force is applied to the holding member of the jack body JT. Furthermore, since the slack portion 14a of the FPC body 14T is maintained in a free state, no large external force is applied to the joint between the FPC body 14T, the pad portion 12a, and the joint.

[0028] The gaps Vt and Vb are formed such that the circumferential ribs 151b and 152b can be compressed and deformed forward or backward. Therefore, when a large force is applied to the jack portion 17 from the main body portion 81 in the forward or backward direction, the jack body JT can move in the direction of the applied force (see arrows DR41 and DR42 in Figure 4), and no large force is applied to the retaining member of the jack body JT. Furthermore, since the slack portion 14a of the FPC body 14T is maintained in a free state, no large external force is applied to the joint between the FPC body 14T, the pad portion 12a, and the joint.

[0029] In this way, gaps V1, V2, Vt, and Vb are formed between the packing 15 and the housing 11, allowing movement in directions other than the insertion direction of the plug 8, which is the pushing direction of the packing 15.

[0030] When an external force with a torque component is applied to the jack portion 17 from the main body portion 81, the jack mounting structure JK has gaps V1, V2, Vt, and Vb, so the jack body JT can rotate around a virtual pivot point C with respect to the applied external torque component, and no large external torque is applied to the holding member of the jack body JT. Furthermore, since the slack portion 14a of the FPC body 14T is maintained in a free state, no large external torque is applied to the joint between the FPC body 14T and the pad portion 12a.

[0031] The virtual pivot point C is located at the center of the circumferential rib 151b in the longitudinal direction, as shown in Figure 4. The longitudinal position of this pivot point C is the same as the longitudinal center position of the circumferential rib 152b (see Figure 5). In the vertical direction, it is located at the midpoint between the center C1 of the circumferential rib 151b and the center C2 of the circumferential rib 152b in Figure 5.

[0032] Movement of the jack portion 17 in response to the application of external force and external torque is permitted not only by the formation of gaps Vb, Vt, V1, V2, but also by the elastic compression of the packing 15. In other words, the jack mounting structure JK is able to move in response to external force and external torque due to the synergistic effect of the gaps Vb, Vt, V1, V2 and the elasticity of the packing 15, thereby making the member holding the jack and the electrical connection part even less susceptible to damage.

[0033] The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the configurations described above, and may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0034] As shown in Figure 6A, the jack mounting structure JK may be subjected to an external torque that causes it to rotate around an axis extending vertically perpendicular to the insertion / removal direction of the plug 8, passing through a virtual pivot point C. To adequately address this, the jack mounting structure JK1 may be configured such that the contact surface 171c of the protruding portion 171a is formed in the shape of an arc with radius Ra centered on the pivot point C, and contacts the contact portion 11b1 of the contact rib 11b.

[0035] Alternatively, the jack mounting structure JK2 may be formed as shown in Figure 6B, in which the contact portion 11b1 of the contact rib 11b is formed in the shape of an arc with radius Rb centered on the pivot point C, and a cylindrical projection 171a is brought into contact with it.

[0036] As with the jack mounting structures JK1 and JK2 described above, at least one of the contact surfaces between the protruding portion 171a and the contact portion 11b1 of the contact rib 11b may be formed in an arc shape centered on an axis that extends perpendicular to the leftward direction, which is the pushing direction (up and down direction).

[0037] In both jack mounting structures JK1 and JK2, the jack body JT rotates smoothly in response to an external torque that causes the left end to swing back and forth around the pivot point C. Therefore, stress concentration in any part can be more reliably prevented.

[0038] In the description of plug 8, a first plug 831 and a second plug 832 are provided on the same main body 81 and have a constant pitch. However, there are also cases where the first plug 831 and the second plug 832 are separate and can be inserted into and removed from the jack 17. In this case, a force is applied that separates the first jack 171 and the second jack 172, changing the pitch and potentially causing stress on the electrical connection with the FPC 14.

[0039] Therefore, as shown in Figure 7, instead of the reinforcing plate 16, two reinforcing plates, a reinforcing plate 261 for the first jack 171 and a reinforcing plate 262 for the second jack 172, may be used, and instead of the FPC 14, an FPC 24 having seat portions 241 and 242 to which these two reinforcing plates 261 and 262 are fixed may be used. The FPC 24 has a notched portion 244 and a slack portion 243 that connects the seat portion 241 and the seat portion 242, and the seat portion 241 and the seat portion 242 can be moved apart and into each other depending on the degree of slack in the slack portion 243.

[0040] Depending on the specifications or usage of the portable radio 91, an external force or torque may be applied that requires movement of the jack body JT to an extent that cannot be absorbed even with gaps Vb, Vt, V1, V2. Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, instead of the main body 81, a main body 81A equipped with engagement pins 833, 834 may be used, and instead of the plug connection part JKP, a plug connection part JKP2 having engagement holes 31, 32 into which the engagement pins 833, 834 enter is used in the recess 11a of the housing 11. As a result, even if an external force or torque is applied that cannot be absorbed by the movement of the jack body JT with gaps Vb, Vt, V1, V2, excessive movement of the jack body JT is suppressed by the movement restriction in the fitting between the housing 11 and the main body 81A, so that the member holding the jack part 17 and the electrical connection part are less likely to be damaged.

[0041] Although the portable radio 91 was described as an electronic device, it is not limited to this, and other devices (equipment) such as information terminals and music playback devices may also be used. Furthermore, the plug type of plugs 8, 8A and jack 17 is not limited to the phone type described above, and other types such as pin plugs and their jacks, or optical square plugs and their jacks may also be used.

[0042] The FPC 14 does not need to be directly soldered to the pad portion 12a formed on the circuit board 12; it may be electrically connected to the circuit board 12 via a connector (not shown) installed on the circuit board 12. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1. Main body 11 cabinets 11a Recess 11a1 First hole (insertion hole) 11a2 Second hole (insertion hole) 11a3 bottom 11b Contact rib 11b1 Contact part 11c Frame 11c1 rear frame 11c2 side frame 11d bottom wall 12 Circuit boards 12a Pad section 12b Mounting hole 13 Cover 13a opening 14 Flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs) 14a Slack area 14T FPC body 15 Packing 151 First connection section 151a Insertion port 151b Surrounding rib 152 Second connection section 152a Insertion port 152b Surrounding rib 153 Main body 153a Slit 153b opening 16,261,262 Reinforcement plates 17 Jack section 171 First Jack 171a Protrusion 171b Insertion port 171c Contact surface 171d Insertion part 172 Second Jack 172a Protrusion 172b Insertion port 172c Contact surface 172d Insertion section 24 FPC 241,242 Seat area 243 Sagging area 244 Cut section 261,262 Reinforcement plates 31,32 Engagement holes 8.8A plug 81,81A Main unit 82 Cables 83 Terminal section 831 First Plug 832 Second plug 833,834 Engaging pins 91. Portable radio (electronic device) C: Center of rotation C1,C2 center JK, JK1, JK2 Jack mounting structure JKP, JKP2 plug connector JT Jack N1 small screw Ra,Rb radius Vb,Vt,V1,V2 Gap

Claims

1. A jack with an insertion slot, The casing and A circuit board supported by the aforementioned housing, A packing interposed between the housing and the jack, which provides soft support for the jack relative to the housing, A flexible board connecting the jack and the circuit board, The jack has an outwardly protruding portion formed therein, The housing includes a contact rib formed therein, which restricts the movement of the plug inserted into the insertion opening in the pushing direction by contacting the protruding portion, A jack mounting structure equipped with this feature.

2. The jack has an insertion opening and a protruding portion that is annular in shape, The housing is provided with a hole, The packing comprises a connecting portion that covers the protruding portion, protrudes in an annular shape, and has circumferential ribs on its outer surface, The connecting portion of the packing is inserted into the hole by a tight fit such that it is sealed by the circumferential rib. The jack mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein a gap is formed between the packing and the housing that allows the packing to move in a direction other than the direction in which it is pushed in.

3. The jack mounting structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least one of the contact surfaces between the protruding portion and the contact rib is formed in an arc shape with respect to an axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the pushing direction.

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